When people talk about the Best Combat Unit award in the Best Unit Competition, the first unit that comes to mind is the Commando Formation. These two seem to be inevitably linked, thanks to the Commandos for having won this award for the past 16 years consecutively. These elite warriors go through the toughest training to become specialists in raids, reconnaissance and enemy interdiction via air, land and sea. 

Commandos are famed for being mentally tough, and one of the ways they are trained mentally is through missions, where tough training programmes push trainees to their limits mentally and physically. After a few months of training, the Commandos are able to easily adapt to any situational complications without breaking a sweat.

It is perhaps this high standard of training within the formation that has helped groom batch after batch of tough Commandos. Let's hear from some of them their thoughts on having won the Best Combat Unit award!

MAJ Pwi Yaosheng, Fabian, Commanding Officer, 1st Commando Battalion (1 Cdo Bn), ensures the safety of his soldiers whilst maintaining high training standards. This in turn guarantees that soldiers give their best in every task they are assigned.

"It is important that every soldier who goes into the battlefield has the confidence that whatever happens, he will still be able to return home to his family. It is with this confidence that soldiers are able to stay committed to the mission, and deliver their best in training and operations."
 

MAJ Pwi Yaosheng, Fabian, Commanding Officer, 1 Cdo Bn

2WO Seah Zhiquan, Regimental Sergeant Major, 1 Cdo Bn, credited the Commandos' continuous success to their hunger for improvement, and never losing focus on their training and its application. "We have been winning the Best Combat Unit for the past 16 years, each year with a different batch of soldiers. I think the reason why we have been so successful is that we seek to continuously improve year after year, and we are very focused on training tactics."

2WO Seah Zhiquan, Regimental Sergeant Major, 1 Cdo Bn

CFC Ayrton McCully, Commando Trooper, 5th Company, 1 Cdo Bn, attributes their success to the mental toughness built within the battalion, and the feeling of selflessness imbed within each and every Commando.

"Mission-wise, we stay very focused, which is something that is essential for any combat unit. What sets us apart, however, is our resilience, which has been built up through all the tough training we've gone through. There is also a sense of selflessness, where anyone and everyone is prepared to step in and help without a second thought. This ensures we get everything done efficiently."

CFC Ayrton McCully, Commando Trooper, 5th Company, 1 Cdo Bn

For 2LT Ryan Chew, Detachment Commander, 5th Company, 1 Cdo Bn, confidence and trust are key factors in ensuring constant mission success, and these traits are built up within each Commando during their training. 

"With courses such as the airborne course, you spend two to three weeks training on the ground, but you will never fully know when you're ready. So when you're up in the air, and you feel the wind on your face for the first time, it requires a tremendous amount of courage to take that first leap. It is moments like this that really builds up our confidence as Commandos, readying us to tackle and face any challenge head-on."

2LT Ryan Chew, Detachment Commander, 5th Company, 1 Cdo Bn

2WO Haresh S/O Kunasehkaran, Operations Warrant Officer, 1 Cdo Bn, feels that adaptability and mental toughness are the main reasons why the battalion had been able to achieve the consecutive triumph of winning the award year after year. 

"I think why we have been able to win it for year after year is because we are able to constantly adapt and evolve to any situation. Each and every Commando is also very tough mentally, which is something that prepares us for any real-life situation."

2WO Haresh S/O Kunasehkaran, Operations Warrant Officer, 1 Cdo Bn

The motto "For Honour and Glory" might seem simple at first, but it possesses great significance for every Commando. Knowing the intensity and discipline the Commandos possess, it is little surprise that their dominance in achieving the award has gone unchallenged in the past 16 years.  

For Honour and Glory!

Written by: LCP Gershwin Lim and REC Douglas Toh
Photography by: LCP Teo Hao Yu